The Daredevils needed victory in Delhi to stay in the competition and Sehwag set the tone with 66 from 42 deliveries at the top of the order. Karthik struck the Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis for three consecutive sixes en route to a similarly destructive 61 from 41 deliveries in a formidable 170 for five.

Fast bowler Dirk Nannes then claimed four wickets, and Glenn McGrath rolled back the years to pick up two as the Daredevils cruised to victory.

New South Wales Blues and the Sussex Sharks had struggled to put bat to ball on the same surface a few hours earlier but Sehwag showed little discomfort as he drove the fast bowler Isuru Udana for a straight four for his first runs.

Tillekeratne Dilshan opened alongside Sehwag but he made only 10 and the captain Gautam Gambhir also departed cheaply, undone by a ball that stayed low.

Sehwag, however, dominated a third-wicket stand with Karthik – the opener racing to his half-century off 32 deliveries before being run out. Karthik found good support in Owais Shah and the wicketkeeper-batsman then ruined Mendis's figures by hitting 23 off his last over.

Nannes, who shared the new ball with his fellow left-armer Ashish Nehra, then secured the early breakthroughs, bowling Mahela Udawatte and Michael Vandort in his first two overs. McGrath, a replacement for the injured Paul Collingwood, took two wickets in his second over to leave Wayamba in deep trouble on 36 for five in the eighth over.

Mahela Jayawardene fought a lone battle and had made 53 when Nannes returned to claim his scalp, on the way to figures of four for 24, Wyamba eventually finishing on 120 for seven from their allotted overs.